5047. Go to Tornado Memorial Park in Brussels

 One of the many blogs and travel websites I scoured while looking for the things to do in Door County mentioned Tornado Memorial Park near Sturgeon Bay. I couldn't remember the hubby ever telling me about a tornado in Door County. After a little more reading, I found out that it was a memorial to the people that died in the Peshtigo Fire in 1871 when a fire tornado hopped the Bay of Green and entered Door County.

Tornado Memorial Park is not too far from Renard's Cheese, one of those must stop for cheese curd places, just as you get into Door County. It is actually close to Southern Door High School in Brussels. It is not a large park but there are two memorials, one on either side of the park. The parking lot is a fair size as well.

The first memorial is dedicated to the 60 soles of Williamsville who perished in the Peshtigo Fire while taking refuge in an open field which is now the park.

The second memorial is dedicated to the Well Site where seven people hid during the Peshtigo Fire blocking the opening with a wet blanket. Five of the seven survived.

I grew up knowing about the Peshtigo Fire and actually visited the museum years ago. I did not know (or remembered) about the Door County fires and stories. I am always interested in these stories.

Check out the park on the way up to Door County next time. Take a few minutes to learn a random and mainly forgotten piece of Wisconsin History when it comes to the Peshtigo Fire.

5090. Go to Al Johnson Beer Garden in Sister Bay

 When we were planning our girls' weekend, Stacy mentioned that a friend told her that Al Johnson's had a beer garden. After a quick Google Search this was confirmed. Al Johnson's in Sister Bay truly had a beer garden -- Stabbur Beer Garden at Al Johnson's. Stacy was more interested in doing the beer garden than breakfast at Al Johnson. I planned the day around getting to Al Johnson's in the afternoon -- then we got a flat tire and all that planning was now useless.. Fast forward two months and I figured Stabbur Beer Garden would be perfect in the afternoon after exploring and hiking all day with the kids. 

Stabbur Beer Garden at Al Johnson's is located next to Al Johnson's restaurant in Sister Bay. It is a big open area with tables and a few corn hole games. 

There is a small food window and of course the bar. We opted to do an earlier dinner at Stabbur Beer Garden at Al Johnson's since the menu was kid friendly. 

I enjoyed tenderloin beef sliders with an old fashioned of course. Stacy had a shrimp sandwich and beer while the kids enjoyed mac and cheese which looked awfully good. The food was fantastic. The wasps and bees not so much.

Stabbur Beer Garden at Al Johnson's is a great place for a happy hour drink, a place to relax after exploring door county, or just to hang out with friends. There is plenty of space. The grass is turf so kids can run away without having to worry about grass stains. It is family friendly and pet friendly. 

You do have a few of the goats on the roof but since it was later in the day the goats were done munching on the roof of the restaurant. We did see them earlier as we drove up to Ellison Bay. Personally driving through Sister Bay to see the goats on the roof is one of my favorite things to do in Door County.

This is a definite must do when in Door County even if you don't drink. Grab a couple of sodas and enjoy the relaxing atmosphere. I will be back and I might even take my cousins up there next time we are in town. 

5039. Do the Rope Maze at Seaquist Orchards in Sister Bay

 One of the many pins I looked at while looking for things to do in Door County, mentioned a rope maze at Seaquist Orchards in Sister bay. I figured this would be good place to let the kids run away for a bit too. The store was supposed to be good too.

The rope maze isn't all that it is cracked up to be. Maybe if I was pint sized, it would be better. The ropes were tied between trees to give you the appearance of a maze. There was a path to follow but it was seemed like it never took you to the middle.

The kids weren't interested in the maze and enjoyed the playground equipment while Stacy and I navigated our way through the maze. It was really simple. We were done in no time.

I did go back through a second time trying to get to the middle and after much wandering I did get to the middle even if it did require me stepping over the rope. The directions said I could. 

The kids enjoyed the playground and the did you know boards. 

We never did check out the store. I've added it to the list as part of checking out all the country stores in Door County. That might be an adventure in itself. Honestly skip the maze unless your kids seem interested and check out the store instead.

5064. Go to Ellison Bluff Natural Area in Ellison Bay

 Since I don't have a state park pass, I was looking into various county parks in Door County since I saw posts about them while surfing Pinterest. One of the ones that caught my eye was Ellison Bluff Natural Area. It said to have great views of the bay side and wasn't overly crowded.

After driving around some trees in the middle of the road, we came to the park. 

Parking was park wherever you find a spot big enough for your car. There was a tiny parking lot and then random parking on grass and sides of the road, literally where ever you could fit your car.

Because Stacy's daughter was napping, her son and I checked out the park. The views were stunning.

There is a little catwalk that you can walk out over the bluff. It is only wide enough for a person and probably would fit about 5 or so people on it. 

We did not get a chance to explore the trails since the little one was sleeping. Maybe next time. 

I will definitely be back here. It is small but it looks like there is plenty of opportunity to explore and there is minimal people. And unlike, Door Bluff Headlands County Park the trails don't seem like they want to trip me from the get go. It is not as rugged.

5033. Do the cherry pit spit at Lautenbach’s Orchard Country Winery

 Browsing the many pins on Pinterest, I found out there was a cherry spit at Lautenbach's Orchard Country Winery. Being the person I am, this was right up my alley. I figured Stacy would be game to do the cherry spit with me. 

What is a cherry spit? It is like watermelon seed spitting contest instead of watermelon seeds, it is a cherry pit. It's quite simple and perfect activity for a group of friends to challenge each other.

How to do the cherry spit.

1. Pick up free cherries in the cooler inside the store. 

2. Head out to the back of the store. I had to ask where to do the cherry spit. It made sense it was in the back since I didn't see it out front.

3. Eat the cherry save the pit.

4. Lean back and spit the pit the as far as you can.

With a couple of rolls, my pit went over 20 feet. It hit 15ish feet on a fly. Stacy was about the same. The women's record is 44'3". Yeah no where close. 

It was still fun. It is something totally Door County. 

Lautenbach's is located outside of Fish Creek. It has apples, cherries, wine, and all sorts of yummy cherry products. It is a complete Country Store like many of Door County. Everyone has their favorite Door County favorite Country Store. I think is my favorite. 

If you have never spit cherries or even watermelon seeds, make this a stop on your next Door County trip. You won't regret it. It's fun for the whole family.

5043. Explore the cemeteries in Peninsula State Park

 When Stacy and I took the Ghost Trolley Tour in August, we made a couple stops at the cemeteries in Peninsula State Park. Neither of us knew these cemeteries existed. Back when Fish Creek was founded, the land now know as Peninsula State Park was the best land in the area for a cemetery for various reason. The park just incorporated the cemeteries into the properties. 

Since we only heard the stories of the smaller cemetery as there was no parking for the bus, we opted to go back and check them out the next day. Unforeseen circumstances caused us to cut our weekend short. So we decided to head back up to Door County with her kids, the cemeteries were another must do for the day.

Pioneer Cemetery is a small cemetery that unless you know it is there, you will never find it. The trail is small and narrow leading to the cemetery and there is a smaller trail to the left that you have to take to find the cemetery. 

It is an old cemetery of mainly the founders of Fish Creek. There is a small lamb headstone tucked away in the corner which is the grave of Baby Huey who did of TB. This is the grave we went to see. We did leave a few coins in his honor so we did not haunt us.

Blossomburg Cemetery is a much larger cemetery that is easier to access. We spent some time exploring the cemetery on our ghost tour. We decided we wanted to see it in daylight.

However when we got there, people were there. We looked at each other and decided we really didn't need to explore this one. Besides it is easier to find if we want to hit again in the future.

If you are into ghost stories, dead people, and old cemeteries definitely check out Pioneer Cemetery on your next hike in Peninsula State Park. It is a hidden gem with a really cool tree trunk you can sit in. 

Just don't dance on the graves.

5057. Go to the Ridges Sanctuary in Bailey’s Harbor

Any type of nature preserve is always on my list to check out. Ridges Sanctuary was especially high on the list because I wanted to see the range lights which were lighthouses designed to help ships navigate the treacherous waters of Bailey Harbors. Captains would align the upper and lower range lights and have an easier time getting into the harbor. They are an unique piece of Door County history that is still in use today and one of the only range lights still in operation.

Ridges Sanctuary has been around since 1937 and is name for the ridges and swales created by the movement of Lake Michigan. The trails are boardwalks and natural trails. There is a trail for everyone.

Since we missed the turn off for the parking lot in August, I decided this was one of the must dos on the continuation of girls' weekend when Stacy and I took her kids up to Door County for the day. Again we missed the parking lot but continued driving and found a smaller parking lot near a beach where we could walk back to Ridges Sanctuary.

The beach area was deserted and their was still some fog which made for some great pictures. 

After dipping my toes in the water and nearly freezing them off, we headed up the road to the path we found. The road isn't too busy but you still need to pay attention to traffic. There is a $5 trail use fee which you can pay at the pay station where we entered.

We entered Ridges Sanctuary and the first thing we came to was a range light. Range lights were not large buildings. It was mainly used as a navigational guide. For $5, we could have taken a guided tour at 11 but had other things to do.

We continued down the path and found the lightkeeper's house and a few outbuildings.

Then it was time to explore a few trails. We wandered down random boardwalks and just enjoyed nature. It was a nice morning for a walk.

Luckily there were signs for us to figure out how to get back to the car since we had no map. 

I definitely need to go back and explore more of the ridges. We only explored a small piece of the property and I know there is a lot more to see. Besides want to see all these orchids they say they have.